Dorothea C. Woodworth

Dorothea Clinton Woodworth was born in Portland, Oregon, January 27, 1893. Her mother was for many years secretary to the Superintendent of Schools and then an instructor in one of the high schools of that city. As a girl, Dr. Woodworth gave promise of the successful career to come. She graduated from Portland Academy at the age of sixteen, and from Bryn Mawrfour years later. After teaching at Roosevelt High School, Portland, Oregon, for nine years, she enrolled for graduate work at the University of Chicagoin 1921. There she took a great deal of work with Professor C.D. Buck. In 1922 she received her M.A. and in 1924 her Ph.D. in Latin with minors in Greek and Linguistics. While at Chicago she was married to a friend of her girlhood days, Lewis A. Woodworth. She had three sons and a daughter, all of them to become people of outstanding personalities. At Chicago she gave instruction in the Extension Division and was a teaching assistant in Classics. On attaining the doctorate she served on the staff of Willamette University, Salem, Oregon. In 1926 she was called as an instructor to the Department of Classics at the Los Angeles campus of the University of California. In 1928 she became an assistant professor.

Professor Woodworth was thoroughly devoted to her undertakings. She gave herself wholeheartedly to her students. In high school she had been progressive in the sense that she “sold” her subject; she kept this up in college. Her success in handling student clubs was noteworthy. She was counselor for many years. She stimulated a love of research. Many of those who had studied with her went on to Berkeley, Yale, and Chicago. For years after graduation many of her students kept up a correspondence that she faithfully acknowledged. She taught in the Sunday school of her church.

In spite of Dr. Woodworth's heavy duties at home and at the University, she did not neglect her scholarly interests. She regularly attended the meetings of the Classical and Philological associations, often reading papers. She was on the executive committee of the latter for the years 1929-1930 and 1932-1933. She had no mean record of publication. Besides several lengthy reviews, she published six significant articles in classical periodicals:Function of the Gods in Vergil's Aeneid, Classical Journal, November, 1930; “Studies in Greek,”Classical Philology, July and October, 1932; “Lavinia: An Interpretation,”Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, 1931; “Unit of Sense,”Classical Journal, March, 1937; “Meaning and Verse Translation,”Classical Journal, January, 1938.

Professor Woodworth died on August 10, 1944.

(obituary for Prof. Woodworth written by her UCLA colleague, Prof. Arthur P. McKinlay)

Education

B.A., Bryn Mawr 1913

M.A., University of Chicago 1922

Ph.D., University of Chicago 1924

Publications

• "Lavinia: An Interpretation." Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association 61 (1930) 175-194.